It is over.
Nick Castellanos's tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies has come to a conclusion with the club announcing his release on Thursday afternoon.
After a long offseason of trying to find Castellanos a new home, the organization followed through their word on cutting the veteran outfield by the end of this week. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski was steadfast in trying to give Castellanos a fresh start. That has finally taken place.
Castellanos played four of the five seasons he was scheduled to when he signed a 5-year/100 million dollar contract with the Phillies in 2022. Coming off a career season with the Cincinnati Reds, the signing was supposed to be a gamechanger for the Phillies.With the team cutting ties a season early, they will still be on the hook for the final 20 million dollars that Castellanos is owed.
In four seasons with the team, Castellanos slashed .260/.306/.426/.732 with 82 home runs and 326 runs batted in. He was an All-Star in 2023 and played in 93% of the team's games over that span.
Reports indicate that the Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates are interested in Castellanos for this upcoming season.
Castellanos wrote a goodbye message to the organization, fanbase and his teams via his instagram.
In that message, he addressed the situation in Miami, where he was famously benched the game after being removed for defense. In his note, he mentioned he brought a beer back into the dugout after being removed from the game. While he did not open it, thanks to support of his teammates, Castellanos did admit his mistake.He was then benched the following game. The Phillies organization did not make mention of the incident in any further detail, likely in an effort to protect their player in this instance.
Four straight postseason runs and two NL East division titles will forever link Castellanos to one of the best eras in Phillies baseball. In his first interview as a member of the team he famously mentioned "I don't have a college degree. I hit baseballs.” From that moment to his farewell post, Castellanos was always himself.
How will you remember the Nick Castellanos era in Philadelphia?
